The present invention generally relates to an air conditioner and more particularly, to an air flow discharge direction control device for an air conditioner, e.g. a room air conditioner, which employs a shape memory alloy member (referred to as an SMA member hereinafter) for a driving source of a discharge direction changing blade.
Conventionally, as an air flow discharge direction control device for an air conditioner, it has been so arranged that the discharge direction changing blade is driven by a motor and the like through control according to temperatures of blasted air, with change-over between an automatic operation and a manual operation being effected through on/off of a power source to be applied to the motor.
The known arrangement as described above, however, has such a disadvantage that a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the blasted air and an expensive motor must be employed for the operations, thus resulting in an increase of cost involved.